


Day of the Dead

by kaientai



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Festivals, Ghosts, Gift Fic, Halloween, Tamayori's Haunted Dollhouse, Tsumugi is not here because he doesn't deserve it, Yurei Mika
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:28:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23424757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaientai/pseuds/kaientai
Summary: There was one day every year when the boundaries that separated the living from the dead blurred at the seams. [DW20]
Relationships: Kagehira Mika/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 41





	Day of the Dead

**Author's Note:**

> for ren, mika-kun omoshiroi~

It was that time of the year again. 

As pesky children ran across the road lined with food stalls and gaming booths, you found yourself nibbling pensively at the candied apple you'd bought for yourself a few minutes ago. You didn't get what was so exciting about these festivals. The street food was subpar, the goldfish catching booths were a fraud, the yokai masks were _awful_ —yet people of all ages still flooded the cobblestone path that led up to your district's local shrine for the festivities. 

Yourself, included.

 _I must be a hypocrite_ , you thought, as you watched a magician swallow a flaming sword in the middle of the makeshift plaza. The festival-goers, donned with yukatas that came in several colors, cheered in awe as the magician dropped his head into a bow. You sighed, dragging your feet before venturing further into the street. 

"Ya seem kind'a bored there, aren'tcha?"

You startled at the sound of a male voice so close to your ear. To your right, a boy dressed in a bloodstained kimono greeted you with a smile. His mismatched eyes glowed with something you couldn't quite piece together, and there were noticeable cracks on his face, as if he was made of porcelain. 

_Huh. Must be a Halloween gimmick_ , you figured. Composing yourself, you cleared your throat, avoiding the boy's engulfing stare. "The festival's the same every year."

"But ya still went out'ta yer way ta go check it out, yes?" 

You frowned, chomping off what's left of your candied apple before tossing the popsicle into a nearby trash bin. "What's your deal?" 

He giggled, putting out his 'blood-caked' hand. "I'm Mika! Ya wanna have some fun?" 

"I'm afraid of the implications of that," you admitted, but still shook his hand. Mika's skin was cold to the touch, as if he'd been standing too long in an air-conditioned room. But the both of you were outside, and the chill of winter was yet to engulf the city. 

Mika enclosed his fingers on your wrist, tugging on it lightly as he led you off the road and into a thicket of trees. "It'll be fun! Oshi-san told us ta bring tons of guests!" 

"Oshi...?" You shook your head. "Where are you taking me, exactly?"

"To the dollhouse!" 

Before you could even wrench out another question, the two of you emerged into a clearing. Your eyes nearly bulged from their sockets at the sight that greeted you—a massive, traditional estate with light spilling from every window stood tall amidst the trees. You could hear soft music streaming from inside, and a chorus of laughter filled your ears. Behind you, you could still make out the lanterns that illuminated the festival, which meant you weren't that far. But how come you've never noticed this building sitting just a few meters away from the temple?

"Come on! Come on!" Mika cheered gleefully as he led you to the mansion. "Everybody's waitin' fer ya!"

The double doors slid open with Mika's vigorous effort, the boy screaming, "Oshi-san! We've got company!" once the lobby came into view. 

You were unable to contain the gasp that escaped your lips when you saw the distinct collection of dolls that lined up every single wall in the vicinity. Each doll was unique, coming from different brands and eras—not a single duplicate present. They stared at you with unblinking eyes from the shelves from where they were perched on. 

On the ground, however, you were greeted by two, identical boys in stark white yukatas, each wearing triangular headbands on opposite sides of their heads. 

"Eh? What's this? What's this?" one of the boys probed, touching your cheek with a single finger. "Mika-san brought a guest?" 

"A guest!" the other hollered. "We haven't had a guest in ages!"

"A guest, you sAY?"

Another voice made you squeak with surprise, when a boy with scarlet hair emerged seemingly out of nowhere, bearing red marks across his cheeks. A black fox mask was strapped to the side of his face, and you noticed the abundance of beaded necklaces that hung from his neck. His golden eyes studied you with manic curiosity, grinning at the way you inched away from him. 

_These guys really have their act together, huh._ You gulped as you backed away from the boy dressed as a fox yokai, only to bump into someone who was standing right behind you. 

"Ah! Sorry!" you apologized, ducking your head into a bow. When you rose back to your regular height, you were met with the sunken-eyed gaze of a boy dressed as a...samurai? No, instead of a sword, he had a golden-haired doll fitted in the hollow of his elbow. His lavender eyes looked almost...puffy? 

"Have you come to play with us?" he asked, voice sounding garbled. 

You blinked, feeling the claws of dread slowly sinking themselves into your skin. All around you, the boys' too-wide smiles and too-eager eyes enroached on your comfort like no other. But before you could let the foreboding consume you, Mika seized your wrist once again, laughing cheerfully as he spun you around to the music that streamed from god-knows-where.

"A guest, a guest!" the boy hollered, and for a fleeting moment, you could have sworn his hands felt warm in yours. 

He looked so happy, just dancing around with you in circles, under the watchful eyes of the dolls on the wall. You should be unsettled. You should be _afraid_. But instead, you found yourself closing your eyes as you laughed along with the boy with the mismatched eyes, exhilaration surging through your veins like it had never done before. 

"Oy! Miss! Please get out of there! It's dangerous!" 

The sound of an older man's voice startled you out of your haze of glee. When you opened your eyes, you were no longer inside an estate with pristine interior and doll-lined walls. 

You were dancing alone in a burned down building, the charred wooden beams overhead threatening to collapse on you any minute. The warmth of excitement had gone and went; you were merely left standing, wide-eyed with fear that should have festered sooner.

"This property is off limits," a police officer, the person who'd snapped you out of your daze, explained as he guided you out of the abandoned building. "Seriously, kids like you keep wandering in here every year! It's about time they tore this place down."

You turned around to gaze at what once was the vibrant, inviting estate not five minutes ago. The lights were gone, and the only music was the sound of the wind rustling the nearby trees. In the middle of the forest clearing, stood a burned down house that looked as if it hadn't been touched in ages. 

As the officer ushered you back into the main road after a thorough scolding, you could have sworn you heard someone whisper into the wind:

_"Come back for us again."_


End file.
